Blogging inspiration can come from the seemingly most random of places. This very article’s inspiration was a Creative Commons photo I used on a previous post. It read: “I’m totally blogging this!” Is this actually something a blogger will say? Sometimes, yes.

What makes something worthy of blogging?

You can write about just about anything on your blog. The trick is making it sound interesting and provide some value to your visitors, That’s why there are so many writing niches out there.

Whenever something strikes your fancy to blog about, be sure to make a note of it. It could be with a picture, a message in your phone, or some sort of post-it note. If something gets your attention, someone else will probably like to read about it, too!

What’s the Best Place to Find Blogging Motivation?

Once you find blogging inspiration, where do you consistently find blogging motivation? The best way to stay motivated with your blog is to go with what you can write mostly easily and authoritatively. Then, every so often find a way to challenge yourself in your writing. While it’s good to stick to what you do best for the most part, always find new ways to grow.

The best blogging motivation comes from finding new ways to grow as a writer and as a person. If you just keep doing the same thing, your writing becomes too predictable. It’s good to switch things up sometimes. But, in order to keep yourself in a rhythm, stick mostly to your strengths, but once in a while also address your weaknesses - both as a person and as a writer. That makes you look more human to your readers, which is always a good thing.

What Matters Most in Blogging: Have Fun Writing and Make Sure Readers Have Fun!

Most people read blogs to have fun. So, you should have fun, too! This means that you can write some silly posts once in a while. You don’t always have to write the perfect post. It doesn’t have to have perfect SEO.

You don’t always have to rely strictly on keyword research and niche considerations. These are great for building your foundation. But, you’re allowed to have fun sometimes! It’s posted online, so if your post underperforms, you can always fix it later.

Yeah, all of those other things are important. But those other things - SEO, especially - should complement what you doing, not define it. Your passion and your own personality must be the things that come first.

So, if you tell yourself “I’m totally blogging it,” then you probably should...

A writer must always be in motion. A writer must always be constantly moving and reinventing on the fly. It’s important for a write to never stay still. It could even mean scribbling in a notebook or on diner napkins. As long as the thoughts are coming, they must be allowed to flow.

It’s too easy to become too academic & too professional and lose that sense of motion in your writing. As a craft, writing is certainly one of the most difficult to master. Creating that motion, making your words actually move people, is the most difficult aspect of writing to grasp.

Writing in motion makes people get up and do something. Too often, writing is thought of as a sedentary activity. In reality, it’s not. Like any human endeavor, finding success requires building momentum. Great writing engages minds and then inspires action.

We writers get stuck far too often spinning our wheels in the mud. Other parts of our lives must involve motion. Otherwise, as writers, we find ourselves staying in neutral all too much.

It takes years becoming the writer you’re meant to be. Eventually, you find your writing groove. You should embrace it. Use writing as a tool to reflect and teach others what you’ve learned. We shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to one another. Writing is often treated like a contest, and it really shouldn’t be.

If you put pen to paper or you spill any kind of digital ink, you’ve already thrown yourself into the wild and wacky arena of prose. Just because one writer is more skilled than another doesn’t mean that you are any less a writer than another. Some of us have to work harder than others, but it all pays off in the end.

Every writer, every person, has his or her weaknesses and strengths. Building those strengths while minimizing weaknesses is as true in writing as it is in anything else. By constantly working on this or that, you remain in motion. Always use your writing as a way to move forward.

Is your writing moving you forward? Or, is it stuck in neutral, or even in reverse? Don’t fret. Never stop trying things and stay in motion. Eventually, you’ll find something worth writing. Not only will you write something that moves you forward, but you can move others as well with your words. That’s the best result a writer can get. Let’s all work for that!

I feel as if it should be unnecessary to say, but writers are people, too!

A lot of people seem to feel writers lead double lives. One life is “real” and the other is some online life where we can seem infinitely more interesting. Sure, some writers use pen names and sometimes even create alter-egos online. That’s fine. Artists have been doing this for centuries. Writing is most certainly an art.

Whether writers use their real names or not, writers are real people. It’s easy sometimes to forget many writers are just looking for new ways to connect with people through the things they love. While a writer may have a pen name or even an alter ego, online life and real life are unavoidably linked.

Oftentimes, web writing and blogging are often seen as a “get rich quick” appeal. But, for most of us, that’s not it at all. For most writers, web writing is a creative outlet. It’s often a necessary stress reliever. It’s also a way to say things we may not find ourselves able to say in everyday conversation.

For those of us who aren’t social in so-called “real life,” some of us really need web writing to network. But networking in web writing is no less real or fake that in “real life.” Sure, some people are genuine, and others are just looking out for themselves. That’s no different than any “real life” social gathering, though. It’s just easier to be anonymous online, and while that’s certainly a thing in itself, it doesn’t make it not “real life.”

While there are certainly major differences between interacting face-to-face and through a computer or mobile device, they are no more or less real. Even in “real life,” we have facades. Sure, online, it’s often more for safety purposes. But, so is the case in real life. There are other reasons, too, that deserve their own treatments. Really, online people are often allowed to express themselves more freely. The online writing world is so vast now that you can always find new connections.

Really, web writing and blogging allow you to socially network in ways that Facebook, Twitter, and so on can only begin to allow you to do. Blogging gives you a home base, so to speak, to build your own personal social network. You can do this in real life, too, with clubs and other social groups. The only difference online is the people you’re connecting with can be a world away.

There's a myth out there that content writing is easy. Yes, when you start web writing, you can write about whatever you want. But, don’t think that web writing doesn't need lots of thought or effort put into it. But, you can’t just type whatever comes to you and hit 'publish' and expect that to be a good blog post.

Content Writing is NOT Easy

Technically, you can post whatever you want. But as with anything, the more thought and effort you put into your web writing, the better results you’ll get out of it. So, while you can write content on any topic, you need to be sure that you write it in a way that people can find it

You don’t have to write the perfect post every time, though. Some people try. Yes, there are those of us that can whip out a blog post in 15-20 minutes, slap a Creative Commons or public domain photo on it, give it a snazzy title, and publish it with an immediate audience.

But, is that true of most web writers? Certainly not.

Write Fast, Fix Later

I'm a pretty fast writer myself. I've easily written 1000 words in 20 minutes many times. That's not to brag. It takes LOTS of practice to be able to write so quickly. For me, it was years of journal writing that started back in junior high. But, I think what helped me the most over the years was retyping my journals into the computer. It helped me practice typing. Also, it also made me rethink how I was wording things.

Obviously, when you’re writing in your own journal, you're not going to be as cognizant of how you're wording things. You're just going to write whatever comes to you. It seems that a lot of people think that writing perfect prose just comes naturally to web writers. That’s not true. For every post I whip out in 15-30 minutes, there are five more on my back burner. Of these five, three or four of those will likely end up scrapped.

There are also plenty of blog posts I whip out, then go back and revise. Web writers are always tweaking. After all, what you write is live to the world. If you’re not happy with it, you’re going to change it. You want to always show something that is strong work. Even if it’s not your best, you want it to be something you’re fine with having your name associated with.

Write Ahead, Always Be Ahead

To make up for those times where the writing flow isn’t working, many web writers write ahead. This is why you see so many web writers hammer out a lot of posts at once. That way, you can go back and decide if something is ready to publish or not.

It’s easy to have an idea that you’re not sure how to optimize for search. That’s fine. Write it first, then figure out your keywords. It’s easier to SEO a post after getting it completely written. While many people write to keywords, I usually write first, then keyword later. It sounds backwards, but it helps me to just get words out and not sound like an article spinning machine.

Still, everyone's writing process is different. Some of us take a lot of time to craft the best blog post that we can. When I have a post that I really want to come out the right way, it can be a long process over the course of days or even weeks.

What Makes a Good Blog Post?

There is plenty of thought that goes into a blog post. A lot of it is research. Not only are you fact-checking or looking for additional info, but you have to know if it’s going to actually get interest. Will this resonate with your intended audience? Is it a topic people will even care about? There's so much going on behind the writing that most people never think about.

Sure, you can just sit there and use a blog as your journal. That's perfectly fine. I used to do web writing in that way. That’s when I just wanted to connect with others through writing without really thinking about it as a career. Web writers should just do whatever works for them. But, if you want to take your web writing to another level, that’s when you have to start treating it with far more care.

Yes, it's absolutely a myth that blogging doesn't require a lot of time and effort. It really does, especially when you're trying to grow it. Just starting a blog and writing anything takes time and effort. Even if you’re just writing for fun, it's never as easy as it looks! After all you're putting something out to the general worldwide public. That’s nothing to sneeze at!

So, the old saying “if you blog, they will come” isn't exactly true. You have to put in a lot of time and effort for a blog to live on. For those that can do it consistently, be proud of them for doing something they love! If you have the passion to put extra thought into effort into everything you publish, there will be a pay-off in the end.

People have an instinctual need to communicate and share experiences. It may be through creating art such as painting or drawing. For many others, it involves having conversations with friends or family. But, the most effective and most broadly-reaching method of communication is writing.

Of course, much human communication turns to gossip. While gossip can be fun, it can also be dangerous. Gossip leads to the spread of often inaccurate information which can become well-dispersed myths.

Writing is a field full of myths that hold back many talented individuals who believe one or more of them is actually true. Here, we will take a look at five common writing myths that pervade the writing world. Let’s bust each of these myths once and for all!

Writing Myth #1: Writing is Easy for Some People

Perhaps the biggest writing myth out there is that writing is easy for some people. Whether you’ve been writing for thirty years or just started last week, writing is not easy. No matter your age, experience, or income, writing is hard work and at times quite brutal.

Just like with any skilled labor, though, practice and experience do make some writing tasks easier. Each writer finds different formats and topics that he or she is able to eventually write on autopilot, for the most part. Every writer is different. Find your comfort zone and practice on bettering your strengths. These are both keys to becoming a better writer.

For even the most experienced writers, writing is not easy, and good writing is definitely not easy. There is still so much to write about out there, though. So, you don’t have to be good at writing every single topic or in every single format. You just need to write what you know best and write the best way that you know how. That isn’t always easy, but it does make writing easier.

Writing Myth #2: You Need Writing Talent to Be a Good Writer

Writing talent can certainly help separate the great writers from the good writers. But, talent alone is not enough to make a great writer, or even a good writer! It is not necessary to have writing talent to be a good writer. Just like with any skill, writing can be learned, developed, and fine-tuned over time.

Just as with any other field that “requires” talent, writing is a product of practice and hard work. You can learn more about the writing craft by reading everything you can. Then, reach out for guidance and suggestions about improving your writing. These are great ways to improve and grow as a writer.

But, the number one thing you need to become a good writer is nothing more than dedication. Through dedication, you can discover your own unique writing talent. Dedication to improving your writing skill may not make you a New York Times bestselling author. It may not make you an article writer with a six-figure income. But if you’re dedicated enough, you can definitely write well enough to make a decent living. No traditional “talent” is needed to be a professional writer.

Writing Myth #3: Writing is Not a Skill

This writing myth absolutely baffles me: writing is not a skill? Others will even say, “sure, writing is a skill, but writing is not a useful skill.” This myth is downright wrong. It likely comes from is likely people who simply have never figured out how to put two words together in writing. Too bad for them. Don’t listen to this myth.

Even if you aren’t making a living writing words, writing is skill a crucial communication skill no matter what line of work you choose. The better writer you are, the easier it is to get what you want. That’s because well-developed writing skills allow you to clearly communicate your thoughts and ideas.

Even the people who seem to want to perpetuate this writing myth could learn how to write effectively. Some people have this weird idea that you have to be a published author or a seasoned journalist to bother with writing. Every single professional field in the world can benefit from having writing skills. With strong writing skills, you can land better jobs and advance further in your career, whatever it is you decide to do.

Even in fields where you may not use writing in your everyday work, writing is important. Having strong writing skills can allow you to write proposals to new potential clients or customers. Strong writing skills can help you get connected to the top producers and thought leaders in your field. There are just so many benefits to being dedicated to improving your writing skills.

Writing Myth #4: You Can't Make a Living as a Writer!

Making a living as a writer isn’t only possible, it can actually become a very rewarding profession. While making a living as a freelance writer can certainly be difficult, it’s really no harder than living while working any entry-level job. The difference as a writer is that you have to show up everyday and work a lot more than 9 to 5 five days a week to truly reach your potential as a writer.

You don’t even have to go to college and get an English major to be a professional writer. All you need is the ability to put two words together. Even if you weren’t an A, B, or even C student in English composition, you can always learn and make money from writing. There is so much writing work out there that you can easily earn the same as you would from an entry-level job in far fewer than 40 hours a week. You will likely spend 15-30 hours a week writing for pay, and another 15-30 building your business. Be sure you are willing to put in that level of dedication.

Because writing is such a flexible skill, you just have to know where to look for people willing to pay top dollar for writing. Earning a living as a writer is extremely rewarding, especially once you find the niche or niches at which you can write on autopilot. So, the next time someone asks you, “Can I Make a Living as a Writer?” you can tell them yes, if you can put the work, time, and dedication into it.

Writing Myth #5: There’s No One Cure for Writer’s Block

Entire books have been written on the subject of writer’s block. It is the most pervasive writing myth in the entire writing world. While there are definitely going to be days where the writing simply will not come, calling it “writer’s block” makes it worse. In fact, most of the time “writer’s block” is all in your head.

If you believe that you are suffering from “writer’s block” ask yourself if you are in one of two states:

Waiting for the perfect time, place, mood, or alignment of the stars to write

Waiting for the perfect moment to write is simply not excusable. There will never be a perfect time for anything you want to do. Just do it! Sorry, I don’t mean to yell, but if you really want to be a writer, then you will write as often as you can. You don’t even have to write well necessarily. Writing really is just like going to the gym. If you do a little everyday, you will never find yourself truly blocked as a writer.

Internal blocks that lead to writing becoming stalled

The second state is more excusable. Especially as an author, I have found myself with a great story but then I find myself stalled. This is not actually a “block,” though, as I’ve learned, but only as long as you don’t see it as such. Sometimes, an idea simply is not done forming in your mind. It’s fine to set your writing aside, let your ideas gel together, then return to it.

The trick is to never call your stalled writing a block. Once you call it a “block,” you just create a new obstacle for yourself. If you ever wish to be the most productive writer you can be, do not give into the idea of “writer’s block.” I used to do that, and I’d say by doing so, I ruined more than one potentially good book that I ended up tossing.

If you find yourself stalling in your writing, walk away and be real with yourself. Sometimes you simply need to step away and do something else. Whatever you do, always resolve to come back to it and get it done. Sure, you may need to do a bit more research on a topic or plan things out better. Other times, you just need your brain to work through ideas a bit longer. Once you make the right adjustments, your writing will flow again, guaranteed.

Don’t let any of these writing myths hold you back with your writing! If you ever find yourself doubting your ability to write, just sit down and think of any topic. Then, start writing everything you can think of without worrying where it’s going to go. You just never know where simply writing will take you. Whether you write to advance your career, as a hobby, or as a career in itself, I wish you the very best!

Many aspiring writers ask more experienced writers the question, “Do I have writing talent?” That’s not the right question to ask to know if you should be a writer. Writing is a skill. Sure, some inherent talent with words is helpful. Still, it mostly comes down to developing a wide set of skills related to writing.

Here are five writing skills you should practice so that you can be a better writer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re seasoned in writing or starting out. Anyone can improve on these particular aspects of writing.

Build Your Vocabulary

It's highly important it is to have a well-rounded vocabulary. You don’t have to use all the words you know on a regular basis. But, it is important to know what words are best used in different contexts. Many words have similar meanings. So, it’s important to learn how to be sensitive to the subtle differences between words.

This is why it’s good to always have a dictionary or thesaurus on hand. You can always Google a definition. Still, having a paperback of these handy reference books is actually quite helpful. You don’t want to be using the same words over and over again, but also be careful that you don’t use synonyms to be fancy.

Be Clear With Your Writing’s Message

You can write the most brilliant prose you’ve ever read. But, if your readers don’t “get it” then it doesn’t matter how much time you spent writing it. You have to be clear with your message through your writing. If you tend towards being long-winded, a lot of people may not be able to follow along well. If you tend to cram too many ideas into a single long paragraph, people may lose your train of thought.

If you feel called to share your literary genius with the world, that’s great. But keep in mind that you want as many people as possible to actually understand what you are saying. That doesn’t mean you have to dumb down what you are saying. It means that you should be as straightforward as possible.

Know When to Put a Piece of Writing Aside to Look at It With Fresh Eyes Later

Sometimes it is best to write something and set it aside. Don’t put it right out into the world right away. It may be fine to let a trusted writer friend look a first draft over. But it’s often the case that putting aside your first draft is the best thing for your writing. Coming back to it the next day can allow you to see a piece with fresh eyes.

Trying to write a piece and edit it in a single sitting can be a daunting task. Put it aside and return to it later. Then, see if anything needs revising, replacing, or rearranging. This delayed editing can make your piece clearer and stronger. Fresh eyes often help you see places where you said things in more words than necessary. They also can tell where you may need to expand upon or make clearer.

Become an Expert in Spelling, Grammar, and Word Usage

There are many writers who tend to write a first draft then lean on someone to edit their work before they submit it. But, it really does help to know learn to proof your work on your own. Eliminating obvious spelling and grammatical errors is very helpful. You can also catch word usage problems yourself that grammar checkers may not find. Then, you can lean on any editor you have to catch more developmental things in your writing rather than the more basic mechanical things.

Most editors prefer having writers who are already pretty good at writing mechanics. This is crucial if you plan on submitting your writing to publications or plan to have it published. That doesn’t mean you have to be one hundred percent perfect all the time. But, keeping typos and errors to a minimum is a must to become a better writer, especially a professional writer.

Don’t Let Disappointment or Rejection Hold You Back from Writing

Most successful writers will tell you that their favorite writing pieces are those that have are rejected the most. Unfortunately, rejection is part of any business. Rejection is especially brutal at times in the writing business. It's not uncommon for dozens or even hundreds of publishers and editorial publications to turn the same piece down.

To be a successful writer, learn not to take these rejections personally and move on to another outlet or the next writing project. You can always return to those pieces later to see if they need revision or just a new audience.

Most of the best writers out there now did not begin as highly-touted writing talents. In fact, many of them faced a major uphill climb to enjoy any professional success at all. The key is being relentless in developing writing skills. Don't be afraid to submit early and often. Then, don't stop writing. These are the keys of success in writing.

Talent is something that can be developed, no matter where you start out. Forget about what people think about your writing “talent.” Develop your writing skills and prove the naysayers wrong.

Are you an aspiring author who's getting awfully tired of receiving rejection letter after rejection letter from publishing agents or agencies? Do you keep asking yourself, "What am I doing wrong?" Saturi Scriptor is here with the "Big Book of Rejections" to prove how most rejection letters are little more than form letters. Not only that, but most of them seem to suggest advice that's not only not real advice but can actually waste writers a lot of time.

This book features 101 actual rejection letters received by the author during the course of submitting three different novels for agent representation. Over the course of the book, Scriptor points out how cliched and alarmingly similar most form rejection letters are. In a humorous, but very sage way, Scriptor points authors in the right direction regarding pretty much ninety-nine percent of these letters: write them off and move on.

Scriptor points out two of the major issues with most rejection letters: they either make you think they will somehow be available to read your work later or somehow make you feel your work is unworthy of publishing or not salable. Rest assured that most of these agents or agencies have more often than not read your query at all and telling you otherwise is a major disservice. Scriptor lets you know that these form letters are pretty much full of dookie.

Sure, once in awhile you will get a rejection letter that has actual, actionable advice. But the vast majority do not. After reading this book, you will know exactly what cliches and forms are used for the 99 percent of rejection letters that you'll receive. Scriptor offers lots of great advice for how to immediately dismiss rejection letters and how to narrow down the list of agents to consider.

After reading this book, I am certain that if you are an author on the verge of giving up on your manuscripts, you will reconsider. I hope that if you are a struggling author that this book can give you new hope. Also, if you are only now beginning the querying and agent search process or have not yet even begin, definitely read this book. Really, no matter where you are in the querying and agent search process, this is a great read.

Traditional publishing is a cutthroat industry and Scriptor deftly and humorously deals with the topic of query rejections. I am sure that this book may just save your author career. Remember that the traditional publishing world is great if you can break into it. But if you don't, never give up. There is always self-publishing, which is far less expensive than you think. Self-publication was the route that Scriptor took after all!

If you are tired of trying to figure out what a rejection letter might mean, definitely read this book! Whether you've suffered through no rejections, dozens, or even hundreds, this book is definitely for you!

Writing great dialogue takes a lot of practice. Many authors spend years perfecting their dialogue so it both sounds authentic and moves the story along. Here are 3 dialogue writing tips that will ensure you can write natural, dazzling dialogue.

1. It Must Move the Story Forward

Unlike normal speech, the dialogue in fiction must move the story forward. It must be part of the plot.Here's an example of what good dialogue shouldn’t be:

“Hi, Bob.”

“Hi, Jill. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m okay. How are you?” Bob said.

“I’ve been better. My boss just laid me off,” Jill said.

In the above example, the two characters are chitchatting. While you will find this in normal conversation, it is not advisable to write it in fiction. You risk boring your reader with needless banter. Instead, get write to the point. Keep your reader gripped and entertained.

Here's an example of what good dialogue should be:

“Oh my god, Jill, I just heard the news. What are you going to do?” Bob asked as he ran up to Jill.

“Apply at the Moon. I hear they’re hiring,” Jill said as she turned to view Bob.

“Yeah, but the Moon? You know what kind of publication that is.”

“I know, but I need income,” Jill said.

“I don’t like it. Three of their last new hires have disappeared while on assignment,” Bob said.

2. Sentence Fragments Are Okay in Dialogue

Very rarely will you ever hear people speak entirely in complete sentences. It’s usually a combination of sentences and fragments. The best way to examine this is to go to a restaurant or café. Sit and listen to how people talk. Write down what they say. Look at the ebb and flow of the conversation.

Here's an example of a complete sentence conversation:

“Joe, what are you going to do today?” Jason asked.

“I’m going to go to the store. Then I think I’ll go to the gym. After that, I might just take a nap.”

“That sounds nice. I might take a nap too or head to the gym,” Jason said.

Here's an example of the same conversation in sentence fragments:

“Joe, what’s your plans for the day?” Jason asked.

“I think I’ll head to the gym, the store. Might take a nap.”

“Yeah. Sounds like a plan. Especially that nap. Just worked 12 hours.”

That second dialogue example sounds much more natural. If your characters are the type to speak in a more relaxed way, this is the perfect way to write their dialogue.

3. Dialogue Can Add Description

Do not be afraid to add description to your dialogue. It serves a two-fold purpose. It lets the reader know what your characters are doing while they're talking. Also, description provides dialogue beats (breaks and pauses in the dialogue without using “He said”, “She said.”

Here's an example of the above dialogue with description:

Jason opened the refrigerator and pulled the pack of baloney. He grabbed the bread off the counter before sitting out at the kitchen table. “Joe, what’s your plans for the day?”

“I think I’ll head to the gym, the store. Might take a nap,” Jason said as he made himself a sandwich.“Yeah. Sounds like a plan." Jason grabbed the baloney and bread from his brother. "Especially that nap. Just worked 12 hours. Midnight shift is killing me.” He pulled out two slices each of bread and baloney.

Now when you sit down to write your next story, keep these 3 dialogue writing tips in mind. Your readers will be happy you did. Readers definitely appreciate the natural dialogue and they will want to read more of your stories.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia. She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Piper Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Learn how to find ideas for writing with these six idea tips and tricks.

Even though I’m a writer, I don’t have a constant and endless supply of ideas. Every once in awhile I’ll find myself idea-less and in need of writing something. Most writers will call it writer's block.

I don’t actually believe in writer's block. There’s always something to write about. There’s always an idea somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding it and pulling together enough thoughts to make it happen. Here are six idea tips and tricks for finding something to write.

Read the News for Writing Ideas

The first thing I do every morning and read the news. The news can be a plethora of potential ideas and plots. This morning there’s an article about the Yemeni president refusing to leave. Europe is on alert for an Icelandic volcano ash cloud. There’s something about Newt Gingrich’s Tiffany’s account. Lightening struck two Indianapolis homes. Purdue is thinking about raising fees for foreign students. There was a tornado in Missouri.

The trick is to think about all those headlines and to think about what you know. If you know something about Yemen and the president, that might make a plot for a short story or novel or political commentary if you’ve read enough previous articles. The same can be done for all the rest.

Think About Things That Make You React: Angry, Sad, or Happy

The second thing to do is to sit back and think about what makes you angry, sad, or happy. Just pick an extreme emotion and an event that would trigger that emotion. The only thing I caution on is writing about recent family strife or death. A good first draft can be gotten immediately, but a polished draft doesn’t happen until six months or a year later. Raw emotions take time to heal, and the mind needs time to objectively process the events.

Sit and Observe at a Favorite Spot

The third idea would be to go to once of your favorite places; coffee shop, bookstore, store, park, or parking lot and sit and write everything you see and hear. This is an indirect way to find an idea. Still, it's a very good way to set a future scene.

Write About Something That You Want to Know More About

The fourth idea is to think about something you would like to know more about and start researching it. I like history especially ancient history and the Roman Empire. I also like the Victorian era. I few years ago I started purchasing all the books on ancient civilians and Rome I could find. I’m currently in the process of writing a historical novel from the books I’ve read.

Purchase Writing Idea Books

The fifth idea involves purchasing writing idea books. I own several of these as well. My most recent purchase was “The Writer’s Idea Book” by Jack Heffron. I like it. I haven’t used it extensively but I like some of the ideas in it. Some of them I’ve heard before. The book goes through brainstorming, clustering, cutting pages into sections and literally tossing them on the floor and rearranging them. I’m not a fan of the latter because it makes a mess. But, I am a fan of brainstorming as a last resort.

Just Write Whatever Comes

The last idea involves just writing through it. If you have a topic, but nothing concrete sometimes the best solution is to just write it out. I have started off many a paper and a story with the words “I cannot think of anything to write,” then I go from there. A lot of times the topic forms within the page, and I can take out that initial line and edit the work into something concrete.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia. She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Like any good copy writing, articles and blog posts should be written in a conversational style. As an article writer or blogger, you want to be personal and treat your reader as if they are a close friend. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should overlook grammar errors in your writing.

One of the worst mistakes that bloggers and article writers make is to allow for common grammar errors to damage their credibility. Some common grammar mistakes in web writing include:

Ending sentences with prepositions

Improper use of punctuation marks

Inappropriate, missing, or excessive use of modifiers

Misusing pronouns and contractions

If you are looking for more backlinks and subscribers to your blog or website, here are five common grammar errors to fix in your writing. Fixing these mistakes will improve your overall writing, as well as your credibility as a professional web writer.

‘Your’ and ‘You’re’

One of the most common grammar errors online is misusing ‘your’ and ‘you’re.’ ‘Your’ is always meant to be used as a possessive pronoun. ‘You’re’ is simply the contraction of ‘you are.’ Yet, you often see things written online like ‘Your a beautiful person,’ or ‘I want to see you’re house.’ Why is it that so many bloggers overlook this obvious grammar error?

Unfortunately, many free grammar check programs won’t catch this mistake. Because of this, many web writers leave this mistake in many of their articles and posts. To many readers, this will make a post look sloppy and hurt the writer’s credibility. Don’t lose respect over such a simple usage mistake, especially one that pops up so constantly.

‘It’s’ and ‘Its’

Another common grammar error is misusing the contraction ‘it’s’ and the possessive pronoun ‘its.’ This is perhaps more common than mixing up ‘your’ and ‘you’re.’ Sometimes, this mistake is not quite as noticeable. That doesn’t mean it should be overlooked, though.

‘It’s’ is a contraction used in place of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ while ‘its’ is a third-person possessive pronoun. To avoid mixing up these things, read your copy aloud and be aware of how you use ‘its’ or ‘it’s.’ If you can replace an ‘its’ with ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ and it makes sense, you’ll need to fix that usage. Be sure that when you write ‘it’s’ that you are using it as a possessive pronoun. That is a common mistake, but don’t let it hurt your credibility as a writer by showing up too often in your articles.

‘There’ and ‘Their’

While ‘there’ and ‘their’ are both pronouns, their uses are quite different. ‘There’ is used to refer to a place or thing. ‘Their’ is a plural possessive pronoun. Yet, you will often read things that say ‘There business has been very successful…’ or ‘Their is a clear difference between…’ in articles, which simply reads wrong. This simple mistake is committed more frequently than you’d think, too. Don’t be one of the article writers or bloggers who overlooks this mistake.

‘Affect’ and ‘Effect’

These two words are often confused. While misusing these words aren’t as glaring an error as some of the above, it’s still something that should be checked for any time you write an article or blog post. ‘Affect’ is used as a verb, while ‘effect’ is used as a noun. They do mean about the same thing, so it’s easily to switch them up. But you don’t want to have a sentence that reads “Millions of people were effected by the power outage last week’ or ‘The bill could have a negative affect on the education budget.’ This error can lose you some respect with readers.

Misplaced and ‘Dangling’ Modifiers

The other major grammar problem that web writers make is misplaced and ‘dangling’ modifiers. Modifying phrases can change the entire meaning of sentences, and if they are put in the wrong place, they leave sentences to be easily misread.

Misplaced modifiers are phrases or clauses that are meant to modify one word or words, but are placed next to other words, which confuses the entire meaning of the sentence. Dangling modifiers are phrases or clauses not clearly or logically related to the words they are placed next to, or modifies. They are usually at the beginning of a sentence.

After writing your copy, be sure to read it through and make sure that each sentence flows properly, especially those with modifying phrases separated by commas. If it’s not clear what exactly the sentence is saying, then you should rewrite that sentence.

Each time you’re ready to hit submit on your latest article or publish on your latest blog post, be sure to read it over aloud. You don’t want to commit any of these five common grammar mistakes, or accidentally leave something that reads unclear or flat out wrong. Your readers will may never thank you for it out loud, but they will respect you more for correct grammar. If you have been making any of these errors on a regular basis, though, and you make an effort to fix them, people will definitely notice. Tighten up your copy and you’ll reap the rewards.

There are many schools of thought when it comes to the best article length for SEO. The good news is that there isn’t a perfect article length that ranks best for SEO. Both short articles and long articles can perform well in SEO. The best length for an article really depends on the topic itself and how in depth you’re looking to write about it.

Are Short Articles Good for SEO?

A common piece of advice is that articles between 200 and 500 words are best for SEO. While that may not be completely true, many content marketers argue that this is a good length for readers. There’s this common belief that many internet readers won’t read more than 500 words at a time. Another common thought is that short articles are best because otherwise readers will just skim or think that your content is too wordy.

What is true is that many internet readers are looking for quick answers to their questions. They’re not sitting down to read a book, after all. Sometimes, if a topic can be split into several articles, it’s probably a good idea, as long as each article answers a reader’s question.

One suggestion is to create a short series of articles with a keyword phrase as part of the title. Then, break it into several different articles that are accessible from one another. That way, you can list them so readers can pick and choose the specific topic they’re looking for. The advantage of this for you is that if someone is truly interested in everything you’ve written on the topic, they’ll read the entire short series.

Can Long Articles be Good for SEO?

While short articles, and series of short articles, are a good idea, long articles can be good for SEO, too. Just as there are those that preach that short articles are best for SEO, there are others that preach that long articles are even better for SEO. The argument for long articles is that search engines consider longer articles to be more valuable resources. So, they tend to rank better.

But, just as is true for those that say shorter articles are better for SEO, this isn’t the complete truth. If a topic deserves an article that’s 1000 words or even 2000 words or more, then it’s probably worth doing. If your article is really long, one really good idea is to use subheadings that separate your longer article into shorter chunks. You may even consider a short table of contents at the beginning of your article that links to the different sections of the article. That way, readers who may otherwise just skim will click on that specific section.

The Best Articles for SEO Are Targeted and Relevant

If you’re looking to write the best articles for SEO, just be sure to stay on topic. It’s fine to write about multiple ideas in an article. But, for the web, it can be best to split it into multiple articles, or use the subheader tactic mentioned above.

Basically, see what articles that keep visitors on your own sites. Watch for the lengths of those articles. If your audience likes shorter articles, write shorter articles and break up longer ones. If they favor longer articles, see if you can combine some shorter pieces into longer ones, and create more long-form articles. If it’s somewhere in between, just keep up what you’re doing already! Essentially, the best article length for your content is whatever your audience likes best.

Web writing is just a hobby, they said. It will never be a real job, they said. Well, that web writing myth can be busted right now.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Web writing is “big business.” There is so much competition out there in starting your web writing career now. Yes, it can be extremely difficult to gain traction online. But it’s not impossible. You CAN still start web writing and have it be more than a hobby.

When Can a Web Writing Hobby Become a Web Writing Business?

If you’re looking to start web writing as a business, you just have to find the right niche. That’s the most common advice you’ll find. Then again, you can just write whatever you want and not care about turning it into a business. That’s how I was for years.

Yes, there are web writers who write online just as a hobby. There’s nothing wrong with starting a blog as a hobby. But most web writers do want to earn something from their online writing. Even if you don’t want your writing itself to be a job, some sort of monetization is a good idea.

Like any other business, it’s hard to get to the point of actually making your web writing profitable. But there’s good news. While finding a niche is important, you don’t have to do something that's completely different from what's out there. You actually can write about what you want, even if it’s a competitive field. You just see what’s out there, and find a way to do it better. Doing that can be hard, but it’s very rewarding when you find success with it.

Web writing as a business is the same thing as starting any other small business. It’s just like an author has to treat his or her craft as a business. It’s all about differentiating yourself and offering value to your audience. Sure, your hobby blog could turn into a business success unintentionally. But, that’s highly unlikely.

Really, all you need to do to turn a web writing hobby into a business is just finding ways to monetize your content. That’s really all there is to it. As long as you have an audience, you can do it. It doesn’t matter what you decide to write about. As long as you’re consistent and offer the best content that you can, there’s decent profit to be made. At the very least, you can make your website pay for itself.

So, Should I Really Make My Web Writing Hobby a Business?

With all the websites you can buy today to take over, it’s pretty obvious that you can make any blog or any other web writing venture into a business if that’s your intention. Starting businesses is extremely hard. Web writing is just another business. Still, don't have feel forced to make your web writing or blog into a profitable business if you don't want to.

But, whether you like it or not, web writing can make a lot of money. So, why not at least look into some sort of monetization if you can? There’s affiliate programs such as Amazon Associates, Google AdSense, ShareASale, and many others that can help you at least grind pennies and occasionally even dollars if your content becomes extremely popular.

But, the best way to get revenue for your blog is always going to be sponsors. All you need for that is a way to prove your content gets seen and that you have an engaged audience. Just be sure that your sponsors are on board with what you’re doing. Don’t let them dictate what you can and can’t do. Just like with any business, you have to stick to your plan. Make little changes if you have to do, but if sponsors or ads don’t fit with your vision, it’s fine to let them go.

Do I Have to Devote My Whole Life to Web Writing to Make It Into a Business?

If you started a blog as just a hobby, you don’t have to devote your whole life to it. But, taking steps for it to bring you passive income is always a good idea whether you see web writing as a hobby or not. There’s little point to leaving money on the table, even if it’s just a few extra dollars each month.

But, yes, if you want to scale it up to a business, you are going to have to make web writing a full-time job. Most of the time, web writing becomes a second job in addition to your existing job that pays the bills. There’s just no getting around that.

Yes, web writing is fine as a hobby. But, it’s better for you financially to look into its potential as a business. Web writing isn’t only a hobby anymore. People can make a real living with their blogs and websites, after all. But, it can still be a hobby if that’s what you want. Just like anything, it’s all about what you put into it.

Still, don’t let anyone tell you that web writing is only a hobby and try to mock you for it. It’s a real job for a lot of people, and it’s much a harder job that what non-bloggers think. Between consistently creating quality content, promotion, keeping up your online presence, and more, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

But really, just relax. If you want to write online, even with just a free blog, just do it. Do it on your own terms. Write about whatever you’re passionate about. Share it where you can. But most importantly, build your audience and network by bringing other web writers up. That’s the key to becoming successful, not just in writing online, but in life.

Who knows, you may inspire someone to turn their own web writing hobby into a business. Just remember, there’s real money to be made. Find what you love and do it better, whether web writing is “just” a hobby for you or not.

Sometimes, I don't consider myself a very good writer. At times, I'll go without publishing an article or anything for even a month or two. Honestly, even though the common advice is to write every day, sometimes you do just need a break. If you feel like your writing is getting stale or is losing direction, it's actually a good idea to go and do something else completely different for a while in order to get yourself refocused. While your writing muscles do need the exercise, it doesn't make any sense to burn yourself out when you're not really producing anything worthy.

So, if you're asking yourself should I take a break from writing then the answer is most likely you should. The question then becomes for how long?

How Long is Too Long to Stay Away from Writing?

The answer really depends on how you feel. If you really are not feeling like writing anymore, then there's probably a good reason for it. If writing is how you make a living, however, then you obviously don't want to stay away from it too long. But, breaks are important to take.

The idea is to not let yourself go forever without writing. If you find that you're staying away from writing for days or weeks at a time, then you probably need the break. But when you find yourself not writing anything after months, even little notes in your journal, that's when you probably should reconsider if you're really even that interested in writing at all anymore.

I've actually been at that point in my life several times. There actually have been times where I haven't even written a single word for maybe even a month at a time, maybe even more. Why did this happen?

I can tell you straight up the main reason that I have gone long stretches without writing. It’s feeling forced to write things that I didn't feel like writing. For example, college papers were often a major struggle for me, as I just couldn’t get involved with the subject material. The other major thing is articles that weren't really paying a lot of money, but I needed the cash. So, when the writing started feeling forced like slave labor, it really was just no fun anymore. I didn't want to do it anymore.

Should Writing Feel More Like Work or Feel More Like Fun?

With anything that you do, it’s probably not going to be fun all the time. But should it be? Sometimes, if you get a lucrative opportunity you're going to take it, even if it's not for that much money. You may just need the cash. But, if you find yourself getting to the point where you hate writing, then obviously you need to take a step back and really reconsider your goals.

It's funny because for so much of my life I actually didn't really write with much of a goal in mind. But I will tell you this right now. If your only goal with writing is simply to make money, then you're probably really needing to find a deeper meaning and purpose to what you want to write.

For example, I really wanted to be a novelist for a long time. At other points in my life, I wanted to be a sports writer. So, at some point, there were actually times where I felt it was important to practice and polish my writing skills so that I could get a job later with writing. The practice alone was a good goal and it kept me focused. But as I became less interested in those jobs, my writing really lost focus for awhile. That’s why I turned to poetry and journal writing, and eventually articles.

Sometimes, you just have to find a different kind of writing to get going again. If it’s getting to feel too much like work, find something else that’s more fun. Sometimes you’re going to have to take assignments that feel like work, so be sure to balance it out with writing something fun. That way, you never have to take too long a break.

When Should Writing be More than Just a Job?

Even when you do something you enjoy, the sad truth is that you may end up feeling burnt out at one point or another. That's only natural. You may be overwhelmed with how much writing you're trying to do at once. If that’s what it is, you should probably scale back. Also, you might find that you don't have a good enough goal and motivation to keep yourself with the proper energy and focus that you need to write.

So, when should writing be more than a job? For a long time, writing for me was simply a hobby. It was something to take my mind off of other things. When I did try to turn writing into my regular job, it honestly didn't really feel that great. While I was making some money doing it, I started feeling like my skills were not being properly compensated. I kept asking myself: why am I even doing this anymore?

When you're writing purely for yourself, sometimes you find yourself saying: “Oh, well, I'll just write some more tomorrow.” Then, tomorrow becomes next week, and next week becomes next month. So what I suggest, if you're going to take a break from writing, is to switch gears. Take a break from writing, per se, as far as trying to write complete articles and the like. What you should keep doing instead, however, is to keep your mind coming up with ideas.

Take notes, whether that's in your phone, or a diary, or a little notebook. If you really are serious about writing, you need to keep putting things down. What I’ve found is that if you go too long, even a week, without just putting your thoughts down, it becomes very very difficult to get the momentum again. When you try to write again, you may find your writing is very sloppy for a while. But as long as you keep the ideas flowing one way or another, even if you just have to doodle in the margins of something, that's important.

Just need to keep the free flow of ideas going. If you’re continuously generating ideas, you'll find the other parts of your life improve, as well. If you sit there and let your mind stagnate, you're going to end up being pretty miserable. Even if you find that you’re not really writing for awhile, you can always use ideas.

Taking a Break from Writing Doesn’t Mean You Should Take a Break from Ideas

Even if you’re not writing, don’t ever take a break from ideas. If you continue to take down ideas, even when you're not actively writing something, you may find that you're able to start writing again all of a sudden. I know that I found this to be the case when I write poetry sometimes. If I haven't written for a while, it's great to try to force myself to rhyme a few phrases or even just keep track of syllables in a simple pattern. That way, I can sort of create a little framework to write around. Even if I only write 4 or 8 lines, I find that I've at least produced something. Producing something, even if it's only a little bit and even if it's not good, at least makes me force myself to put words together.

Trying to then force yourself to write a thousand word article is not always the best way to get going again. The trick that I found with writing is to not burn yourself out. Simply keep your thoughts flowing and note them somehow. The ideas don’t even have to be good. After all, to get good ideas, you have to have a lot of bad ones, too.

I can tell you right now that when I'm not doing very well with writing I'll still open up a whole bunch of documents and stick ideas in each one. Sure, probably 9 out of 10 of them never go anywhere. But, that's okay. Eventually I will find some way to connect those thoughts, even if they don't become articles on their own.

I've even found Speech-to-Text, even the simple kind that's on a lot of Google and Apple phones, is very helpful in getting your ideas out. Even when you don't actually feel like writing, using Speech-to-Text is different. That’s because when you talk, you're using a different part of your brain. You actually want to exercise this part of your brain, as well. By vocalizing your thoughts, all you're doing is expanding how you can express yourself. Heck, if you’d rather express yourself through art or other creative activities, that's good, too. The idea is to not let your mind stagnate. If you're not going to write, find some other way to express yourself.

How Long Your Break is From Writing is Up to You

So, how long should you take a break from writing it all is up to you. However long feels right to you is how long you should take. But, whatever you do don't keep the ideas from flowing. That's the most important part that is why I love writing so much. It’s a way for me to get my ideas out of my head so that they're not zooming around at a million miles an hour.

At times, I feel extremely unorganized, and that's when I feel like I need to take a break and refocus. If you can't focus with your writing, you're going to find yourself writing a lot of crap or things that you just can't do anything with. In fact, you end up confusing yourself. So, only write when you feel like you can have a clear path to what you're doing.

But even if you're not feeling clear, make sure you get the ideas down. The more ideas you get down, the more you have to come back to later. The worst thing you can ever do as a writer is to come in with a blank page with no direction. Make sure that you always come back to writing with some sort of direction. Even if you end up changing direction midstream, that's okay.

The idea is to make sure that you stay focused as a writer. Once you lose that focus, go do something else for a while. If you don't want to come back to writing maybe you never will. But that's okay. You can't worry about that. If you're meant to be a writer, you will come back to it. Even when I’ve felt like I was done with writing forever, I obviously still came back. That's what I've always found.

It doesn’t matter what kind of writer you are. You don’t even have to be a writer right now. You can become a winning writer. Aimed at writers who want to become published authors, Joan Gelfand’s book “You Can Be a Winning Writer” takes a holistic approach to becoming a successful writer. While many writing advice books focus on one aspect of writing success, Gelfand’s book covers four main areas that need to be done all at the same time. She calls these the 4 C’s of Successful Authors: Craft, Commitment, Community, & Confidence.

While there have been entire books written about aspects of the four C’s, there hasn’t really been a book that focuses entirely on balancing all four of the C’s to become a successful author. That is exactly what Gelfand set out to do with “You Can Be a Winning Writer” and she does this well. She pulls together lots of great advice and anecdotes from many successful authors, many of them Pulitzer Prize winning. It’s well-researched and put together, whereas a lot of writing advice books seem like they’re all saying the same thing. As Gelfand breaks down the 4 C’s, any writers are bound to pick up some helpful hints in all areas of their writing lives.

Whether you’re looking for help with better crafting your words, how to build better commitment with your writing, building a community around your writing, or building confidence in your writing abilities, there’s a little something for everyone throughout the book. While the book does break down each of the 4 C’s in detail, each section touches a bit on each of them naturally. For example, when talking about Craft, naturally you’ll have to discuss Commitment to your writing, Confidence in your writing, and Community that will help you stay committed and confident in your writing while helping other writers with the same.

“You Can Be a Winning Writer” is definitely worth a read. I’d suggest taking notes whenever something strikes you that you can apply to your own writing. There’s just so much good advice packed into every section of this book. It’s the kind of book you may read multiple times just to absorb all the lessons within, from Gelfand’s own personal experience and from all of the other writers’ stories she shares.

You may not even consider yourself a writer right now. But if you’ve even ever dreamed or even justthought ofbeing a writer, go ahead and just do it. This book will help you not only get started, but also put you on the right path towards success. No, it’s not going to be easy. Gelfand doesn’t sugarcoat how difficult becoming a successful author is, but constantly reminds you that it’s possible with great dedication and discipline to sticking to a good plan. It’s a great writer’s manual and it should be on your bookshelf, no doubt about it.

Some of the best advice I've ever read on outlining came from the book “How to Write a Book for Beginners" by Ryan Stephens. This advice had to do outlining a nonfiction book, but it’s applicable to any kind of nonfiction writing.

Ryan asked his friend about how he outlines his books. He told him it's as simple as this: answer two types of questions. There are the questions people actually ask and the questions they should be asking. In the case of a nonfiction book, you want your chapter titles to be the questions people ask. Then, the subheadings are made from the questions you find people should be asking.

The best part about this advice is that it works for article writing, too. As someone who used to be rather allergic to traditional outlining, I find this simple approach refreshing. But while it looks simple on the surface, how easy is it to know what questions to ask?

What Questions Do People Actually Ask?

Fortunately, good old Google Autocomplete can give us a treasure trove of what people actually search around a given word or phrase. This is a helpful place to begin your research. Or is it?

The funny thing that came to my head as I set to writing on this topic is this: what if the best questions people want to ask aren't even being typed into Google? This is a good thought that I don't think I've ever thought before. It's funny how when you start asking yourself questions how you come up with more questions.

This is how I knew that Ryan's friend was really onto something when he said you should outline using questions. For so long I've often used dry subheaders and even really dry titles just to get the keywords in there. Before reading that Ryan Stephens book I didn't even really consider writing nonfiction books. But the idea dawned on me that I should seriously look into it.

But did I Google it? Nope. I searched Amazon for free Kindle books on writing. That's right. People still look for answers in books. Who would've thought? Believe it or not, though, there isn't a book readily available for every topic. Even if people write a hundred thousand articles on a topic, it doesn't mean there's a good book on it. So, why does it matter if you can't find a book on Amazon for a question you have? To me, it screams opportunity. As a writer, this smells like fresh blood does to a shark.

So, now we've established that people search Amazon sometimes before they even think about Google. That's not a tip you see everyday. But there are a lot of places to look for answers to your questions. You can't possibly check them all.

So, How Do I Find the Right Questions to Ask?

The best way I've been finding questions to ask is not doing keyword research. I certainly still do some initial keyword research, because you can find some good opportunities to target your content that way. But when you set yourself to answer a question, you should never limit yourself. The best way to know what questions to ask is to ask yourself what questions you would ask.

If you have a topic or question in mind, write it down. Then, ask yourself the questions you would ask in order to be satisfied that your question has been sufficiently answered. But, how do you know I'm asking the right questions when outlining my article or book?

I'm loath to say it, but I'll say it anyway because it will help illustrate a point. There's no such thing as a stupid question. Some will rebut that with: until you ask it. Others will follow up with: only if you don't ask it. I'm inclined to agree with the latter rebuttal.

So, What’s the Best Way to Find the Questions People Actually Ask?

It turns out we are not all brilliant masterminds who have billions of unique thoughts everyday. But I do have good news. The genius is in making the connections between thoughts and ideas. Anyone can do this if you work at it. So, yeah, if you're thinking something, it's highly likely someone else has thought the same thing. But, if you're acting on it, then you're doing something creative. That's important.

As someone who usually skips outlining entirely, why do I suddenly seem keen on taking a step back and really ask some hard questions? Because by asking questions, I find myself asking even more of them. Eventually, I'll recognize which ones seem the most important to answer. Then, I set to work.

What people actually ask is what you'd probably be asking yourself anyway. Yes, seeing what people actually ask is important through some research, too. But when you are trying to write something, you turn the idea faucet on and let it flow for a bit. Then, when you’ve come to a point where you need to turn to answers, this is when you know you have a whole bunch of good questions.

So, how do people even look for answers in the first place?

Should I Google It?

Or, in place of Google, insert your favorite search engine. Keep in mind people use Amazon and YouTube to look for answers, too. Google can be a great tool, but that is all that it is. Finding the answer your seeking may in fact be a click away. But it may not be. And even if there are results, will they satisfy you?

In my experience, if it's not a simple question, most of the time you'll find irrelevant results or feel underwhelmed. Don't blame Google. No one has answered it well enough yet anywhere the Google spiders can find. For writers, this is fresh blood!

But not everyone asks Google their burning questions. And not too many people actually type into Google “should I Google it?” when they’re figuring out how best to find answers. Choosing to use Google is an internal decision. There are so many other search engines out there and while Google is the most-used, not every good question people ask will be easily revealed to you that way.

Should I Look for Answers in a Book?

Turning to books to seek an answer to your question may seem quaint to some people. Actually, if you are even considering this, though,I applaud you. There’s solid reasoning to this decision making process.

By no means is the Google searcher is being lazy or anything. But there are some questions that would seem to require some digging. You can do this through Google, too, of course, but hitting the books means you want more than online articles can give you - no matter how good they are..

And, I hate to break it to you. What you read online is not always accurate. I also hate to break it to you that what you read in a book isn't always accurate. However, books seem to be much more trusted. Why is that?

Yes, it's true that books tend to be more robustly researched, edited, and scrutinized. But, online articles can be too. And since pretty much anyone can self publish not only e-books, but print books too, there isn't too much difference between what you find online or in books, right?

Actually, here's the key difference. Books are longer. Even short ebooks are longer than most articles published on the web. Books require more effort on the part of the writer, and a lot more research. If you’re turning to books to answer your questions, you're no longer just a searcher, but a researcher. Likely, you’ll have visit your local library or buy books to seek answers. If anyone goes to that much effort, it must be important..

This is where we must bridge the gap to what people should be asking.

What Questions SHOULD We Be Asking?

Many questions people are probably only asking internally, but not actually searching. Others have questions that may require more research than many people actually want to do. So, because we writers are wonderful human beings, we go do the hard work so others may benefit.

Or we're self absorbed jerks who want to get paid the big bucks for becoming the top expert on subject X. Either way, same result.

The questions that require digging, the ones not answered well or at all through the results of a Google search, are the ones we should be asking. Those are the ones we should be writing about and answering. Yes, it can be hard work, but the end result is going to be something pretty cool that probably hasn’t been done before.

How Does Listing a Bunch of Questions Help You Outline an Article?

It's quite ironic that when I first began writing this very article that I neglected to even outline it. But as I went along, I realized that I had something pretty profound here. At first, I began to ramble and lose focus. Fortunately, I righted the ship. I started taking a step back and just asking the questions before I just took off being the rambling fool I often am.

Or am I?

Turning the more common questions into chapter titles helps you get into the mindset of your audience. If you’re writing an article, this is how people are going to discover it in search. If you’re writing a book, people will find these in your table of contents, if you choose to make that part of a free book preview (which you should). You also show your audience (and potential publishers) that you have your finger on the pulse of your audience for a certain given topic.

People also like it when you’re asking questions that echo the ones they themselves have been asking. You position yourself as an authority by asking the right questions.

While turning your article or book into an FAQ of sorts isn’t a terrible way to go, you want to get down to creating something more. That’s where the subheaders come in. They’re quite useful in keeping your audience’s attention and allow skimmers to get some value from your work without reading closely. By turning your subheadings into questions, you force yourself to really answer them.

While asking these questions are really helpful in outlining and focusing yourself on the questions you need to answer, they’re good to keep in the final version as well. Many people, myself included, have long had many subheadings that read as statements or more like commands. While there isn’t anything wrong with this, asking questions instead adds a new dimension to your writing. Not only do people appreciate that you’re asking good questions, but you make your readers ask more questions of themselves.

By asking the right questions that people really ask and those that we should be asking, your writing will be a lot more focused and you’ll find yourself driven towards writing good answers more quickly and more often. The questions people ask and the questions they should be asking can serve as the backbone to any piece of nonfiction writing that you’re doing. Once I started writing this way, I can say I write more quickly and more effectively than ever before.

Plus, I started asking a lot more questions. Is that ever a bad thing?

If you’re a first-time writer, you may be reading a lot of different writing advice about how to get started. There’s plenty of writing advice out there, some good and some bad. Here, we’ll ask some questions about common advice that’s given to first-time writers. But, we’ll expand on these ideas a bit more and give you some actionable advice for your writing. Even if you’re not a first-time writer, these are questions you probably still should be asking yourself.

Before we get started, keep this in mind: You can be the most talented and skilled writer there is, but neither talent nor skill is a guarantee for writing success. What you’ll find is that passion is the most important thing when it comes to writing. We’ll get to why this is later.

Now, here are six key questions first-time writers should ask, or any writers, really.

Question #1: Why Must Writers Must First Be Readers?

A writer must be a reader, first and foremost. Whether you are a writer of nonfiction, novels, songs, poems, or even technical manuals, writers must read. While we each develop our favoritism for certain genres or topics, we must each always look to broaden our knowledge.

Why is diversifying your knowledge so important?True genius lies in making connections that others simply haven’t made yet. By diversifying your reading material and spheres of knowledge, you expand your mind and allow it to make connections with seemingly unrelated ideas.

If you limit yourself to a single genre or a handful of topics, you will limit your ability to discover new ideas. Also, by opening yourself to other genres and topics, even if on a whim, you expand your ability to learn. In a world that becomes seemingly more specialized everyday, the writer must learn to do the opposite.

First-time writers often struggle finding their writing niche, and that’s OK. Even experienced writers feel the need to branch out and find something new to write from time to time. The best way to find new ideas to write about? It’s reading.

Question #2: How Should You Choose a Topic to Write About?

You’re probably sick of hearing the same old advice of “write what you know.” First-time writers hear that a lot. As with a lot of common advice, though, there is a lot of truth to it. However, there’s more to choosing a topic than that. You might know a lot of things. Of course, there are always going to be more things that you don’t know than you do.

Yes, to be a successful writer you have to know what you’re writing about. But just because you know a lot about something doesn’t mean that’s the topic you should choose. Whatever you write about, it should either be something you love or something you hate. The truth is that you need to write about something that you’re passionate about, because that will show in your writing and make it better!

Can I Write Something I Don’t Know? This is when the common “write what you know” advice seems limiting. If you’re interested in some topic that you don’t really know a lot about, then, by all means learn about it. As you research this topic, if you find you’re actually rather passionate about it, then keep learning about it! You can eventually turn what you don’t know into something that you do know a lot about! Just make sure that you really love it before you dive into writing about it.

Question #3: Can You Ever Stop Learning?

No writer is ever going to be perfect. It doesn’t matter how skilled or knowledgeable you become. There is always room to grow, both as a writer and as a person. If you don’t continue to expand your mind, you will find your writing suffer as a result. There’s so much pressure to keep writing the same thing and sharpening your focus. As a writer, you should write what you love, but keep learning other things. Even if you focus on writing nonfiction, you should never stop yourself from reading fiction or poetry. You just never know where your next good idea will come from.

A mind that becomes too focused on just one kind of writing, one way to tell a story, or one anything will eventually become complacent. This can cause your writing to become stale. Much of your audience will grow bored with the same thing after a while. This is why you must keep expanding your mind. For example, even if you’re an established horror writer, you may draw inspiration from science fiction and romance. If you focus too much on what’s already been done without introducing new combinations of ideas and new perspectives, you and your writing will suffer for it.

Also, your writing will never be perfect. So, there’s always room to learn from other writers, whether it be through their style, their storytelling, or just their ideas in general. First-time writers certainly have the most to learn about the writing craft, but even the best writers still learn all the time; that’s how they stay the best!

Question #4: Why Should You Keep Building Your Vocabulary?

If you’re a writer, you should know as many words as you can, right? This seems obvious at first. But, one common piece of writing advice is to actually use the simplest words you can. Of course, Ernest Hemingway is quite famous for his poignant use of simple words in the narration of his stories. But we’re not all Ernest Hemingway, are we?

Yes, using uncommon words, often called “big words,” “college words,” or “SAT words” can be daunting for a lot of readers. So, yes, when a simple word is fine to use, just use that. It can be very tempting for writers to show off their vocabularies. But just because you don’t use them every day in your writing doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know them. It’s actually good for your readers to have to look up a word in the dictionary once in awhile, after all. But, then, why use them at all?

Words are surprisingly complex when you actually study them. Etymology is the study of the origin of words and how they have changed in usage or form over time. The etymology of even common words is pretty fascinating. In fact, the study of individual words alone can actually help you develop writing ideas.

And, of course, building your vocabulary will allow you to reduce the chances of not being able to find just the right word for an idea. After all, words are little encapsulations of ideas, and the more of them you know, the more ideas you can easily express.

Question #5: Should I Write Down Every Idea I Get?

Here’s a question that many first-time writers ask: should I be writing down every writing idea that I get? Yes, the most important thing about ideas is to not let them get away. Ideas often occur to us at the most inopportune times. Writing an idea down on the back of a napkin might sound cliche, but it does actually turn out that doing that has saved some great ideas. Always be prepared to capture ideas when you least expect them.

The beauty of the human mind is its ability to come up with pretty amazing ideas unexpectedly. The idea for the next great novel of all time could occur you to just about anywhere. Even a piece of character dialogue could hit you as you’re walking down the street. If an idea sparks your interest, write it down in whatever way you can. Yes, even carry around napkins if you have to!

Don’t fool yourself that you might simply remember the idea later. Yes, sometimes you may remember it perfectly. But another beautiful, and often tragic, thing about the human mind is that it can be at time impossible to remember something you came up with just five minutes ago. Ideas are always racing around and can bury one another. We’re all brilliant in a way, and we all have ideas. Most aren’t going to be good, and some will be OK. But all it takes is one great idea to get you writing. That one idea could take you further than you could ever now imagine.

Question #6: What’s the Best Writing Advice of All?

Every writer can ask this question, and the answer is actually quite simple.

Write Because You Love to Write!

A lot of writers make publication the end goal for their writing. While wanting to be a published author is definitely an excellent goal, it shouldn’t be the only one. Your main goal in writing should always be writing what you love to write. You may not always love what you write, but you should love the very act of writing itself. No, not everything you write is going to be published. Even Stephen King has unpublished manuscripts.

You should only publish when you feel you’ve written something that you actually feel is worthy of publishing. So many writers spend so much time on trying to write something to be published and are frustrated when no one wants to publish it. Lots of times, there’s going to be nothing wrong with what you’ve written.

The truth is that publishers have to make money. If they don’t think an idea will make money, no matter how good it is, then they will likely pass. This isn’t your fault and you shouldn’t let it discourage you. If you’re looking to publish, you can always self-publish to get it out there. Then, just write something else. You can always follow the money with your writing, but it shouldn’t be ever be your only end goal.

As a writer, following your passion is all you should be doing. Your writing is going to be better when you’re not writing just to publish. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have publishing as a writing goal. What it means is that when you sit down to write, don’t worry about the publishing being the end goal. Passion is everything with any art, and it especially shows in writing. Writing what you know and love is what drives a writer to create. If you’re not driven to create, then you’re going to have a hard time writing. It’s as simple as that.

So, with these six important questions answered, get out there and just write!

During my later high school and earlier college days, I became an obsessive note taker. At times, I found that these notes helped me to write essay assignments. Note taking also helped me do better at remembering material for tests. But nearly a decade out of school, I finally thought to myself that I don’t take nearly enough notes anymore. As a writer, taking notes creates valuable raw material that you can work from to start a variety of projects. But, should you just take note of everything? When is it just too much or no longer valuable to take notes? Let’s discuss the finer points of note taking methods and strategies..Is it Possible to Take Too Many Notes?This is sort of a tough question. Too much of anything can be a bad thing. What you take note of now may seem trivial later, but the opposite can be true, too. My general thinking with taking notes is to write down what seems noteworthy. This is going to be different for everyone.If you’re truly interested in a topic, though, you can’t really take too many notes, can you? I’ve found that I haven’t taken enough notes at times. But, as I find that my notes become extremely disorganized, I’ve found that I really needed to create a system for taking notes. Should I Have a Notebook for Every Topic?So, what’s a good method for organizing notes? Having dedicated notebooks for each topic seems like a good note taking strategy. Of course, there is such a thing as too many notebooks… Then again, digital notetaking has made organization a lot easier. You can have a nearly infinite amount of digital notebooks without wasting lots of paper. But, for things that you write about all the time, you may want to have a little hard copy notebook. Whatever your fields of interest might be, you’ll want something physical that you can carry around with you.Obviously, you can only carry around so much. But having two or three small notebooks with you at all times allows you to take notes on your favorite topics at any time. If there’s a purpose to each notebook, you’ll find your notes becoming more organized. Also, because you’re training your mind to write more things down, you’ll have more organized thoughts, too. For that reason, it’s a solid note taking method.What About Random Thoughts That Don’t Fit My Usual Topics?This is when a smartphone comes in handy. You can use note taking apps like Evernote, Google Keep, or even just Google Docs to take down notes that don’t fit in your usual notebooks. You can even email yourself or put notes in texts to yourself. Whatever you find a quick and easy way to save something, use that, and be consistent. Then, every so often, weed through and pick out what’s useful and save them in a more easy-to-find way.I’ve actually found that most thoughts I discount at random aren’t as random as they first seem. Your mind is always making connections, even if you aren’t aware of it. Don’t discount them. The more that you acknowledge your thoughts, the more that you’ll come to better understand the inner workings of your own mind.Whether you’re a professional writer or just someone who likes to scribble for amusement, note taking is a great way to get not only your writing organized, but your brain, too!

Ever feel like that your writing just isn't coming out quite perfect? You may feel like there's something missing. Do you feel like what you're saying doesn't sound right? That's okay. Sometimes, you simply have to take a step back and leave your writing aside for a while. It might only be for a few hours. Sometimes, it can be a day. If you have the time to do so, it could even be a week.

But if you feel like you're on to something, but you haven't quite figured out where you're going yet, it is actually okay to let your piece of writing sit. That way, you can come back to it with a fresh perspective. The idea should be to not rush a piece of writing if you don’t have to.

Why is Sitting on a Piece of Writing for a While Actually a Good Thing?

The most important part of writing is getting the ideas out. Once you get the ideas out, the hard work really begins. How do I actually turn this piece of writing into something that people can relate to and get some value out of it? Most important of all, you want it to be something to be happy with, especially if it’s going to be published somewhere.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of what we write finds its way into the recycle bin. Even the greatest writers struggle at one point or another. What's important to keep in mind is that not everything you write is going to be good, especially on the first draft. Don't ever feel like every word that you write has to see print, even if it's on a computer screen. If you feel bad about a piece of writing, taking time away from it is probably best so that you can detach yourself emotionally from it.

When Should I Set a Piece of Writing Aside?

Trust your instincts if you really think a writing piece has potential, even it's just not going anywhere right now. Save it and set it aside. Don't hit delete until you’ve given it a second chance. You may find later that you regret hitting delete on a piece that might have had some good ideas, but just needed better organization or more work.

Yes, sometimes a piece is destined to go nowhere, and that's okay. But if you're working on something like an assignment that you really absolutely have to do, then setting it aside for a while is actually the best way to go. In fact, you know how a lot of web writers purposely hold off completing assignments until the last minute? Sometimes, this is to help motivate the writing to get done, but for some writers procrastinating actually helps it get it done better.

Even if you’re a procrastinator, you actually still want to put something down. It may just be listing subheadings or questions that you need to answer in the article. Even sticking in keyword phrases and thoughts related to the writing work gives you a place to start if you really need to set it aside for a bit.

When Should You Just Get Writing Started to Work On Later?

The most important part of writing, or doing anything in general, is to get started. As long as you're able to put something down, you’re already getting somewhere. If you really get stuck, then leave it for a while. If you’re able to come back before it's due, you're probably okay. In fact, you're probably a lot better off than when you started.

But even if you put random thoughts down, why are you able to then write better. This is because your mind has actually been able to think through what you’ve written subconsciously.Never underestimate the power of the subconscious. Even though it does sound cliche to let ideas sit around in your mind for awhile, it really does help.

Some people may wonder why writers will rush to writing assignments and try to get something out right away. Doing this gains you momentum. Once you have that momentum, even if you stop and think about it for a while, you got it started. You're not always going to be able to produce your best writing work in one sitting. You shouldn't feel like you have to do that. If you do feel overwhelmed, it’s time to step back, and reconsider what you’re doing with your writing.

Is It Possible to Sit On My Writing for Too Long?

Contemplation and reflection is very important with writing. But it is possible to let writing sit too long. It’s important to get the ideas out of your head and let it sit for a bit if you have to. But, make sure you come back to it. Then, finish it or decide what else to do with it. If you find yourself taking writing work that you’re sitting on too long and it's due, it's perfectly okay to reach out for help. Writers do it all the time.

It’s important to find your place where you feel comfortable with writing. Sure, it's fine to put yourself out of your comfort zone once in awhile. This can help expand your skills and build discipline with your writing. But, don't ever feel like you have to get your writing done in one sitting if you really can't get it done.

Sure, you can try and write fifty articles in a day, but that’s rarely possible. If you feel fine trying to do a whole bunch in a day, then go ahead. Each of us has a different limit. But, once you reach your limit, don't push yourself past that limit. Otherwise, you're going to end up hating writing.

If you do find some writing is sitting too long and you can't finish it, you then have to make a decision. Don't feel obligated to finish, if it’s not vital that you do. You don't want to burn yourself out. Sometimes, you have to just let it go and move onto something else.

But, if a writing assignment is very important to get done, get help with it if you need to. Always give yourself a break before you feel like you have to finish something. Know when you need to let it go to someone else to be done in time. If you don't do these things, you're probably not going to be happy with your writing. Letting your writing sit for awhile is important to let yourself reflect and produce the best work you can. But you also need to get back to writing in a timely manner. Finding that balance is the key to being a successful writer.

For me, prewriting has always been a bit of an ironic term. After all, doesn't prewriting involve writing things down? But, really, the act of prewriting is actually helpful for a lot of writers. While I have rarely ever done prewriting in the traditional sense, there's a lot of usefulness to integrating prewriting into your own writing process.

"What the heck is Prewriting?"

In school, we were probably all taught that you needed to do prewriting before starting the first version of a writing assignment. I rarely did this, even in cases that the prewriting was part of the grade. I'd just start writing the assignment and go back and fix it later as I developed more ideas. I became a pretty good self-editor at an early stage. So, I could skip prewriting, really.

But not everyone can write a whole paper straightaway. Even the most seasoned writers sitting down to write something that isn't an assignment can find great value in old school prewriting. How do you start prewriting? You ask yourself some questions.

"What am I writing about?"

What is the topic or theme of what you're setting yourself to write? I usually am able to complete this task in the title of my work or in the first few sentences. But one benefit of prewriting is that not only can you set your topic or theme in writing before you actually begin writing the actual work, but you can also ask yourself: "is this something I even care about?"

I used to ask myself "will anyone care about what I'm writing?" most times I set to writing. That's a question I'm sure many people ask themselves. The trouble is, writing what you think people want to read often leads you to writing something you're not as invested in.

Believe me, it's usually fairly obvious to people when someone writes about something they actually care about or are moved by. For some, prewriting is a great way to really decide the direction you want to take with your writing, whether it's for yourself or an assignment. After all, once you put something in writing, it can look a lot different.

This is one very useful thing about prewriting. You can figure out what you actually care to write about before writing a whole piece you're unhappy with. Now that I think about it, I could save myself some time by just doing this one part of prewriting. In a way, I already do something like that in my journals, where I often come up with my topics and themes for writing essays. In fact, this very piece came from an idea I wrote in my journal.

Still, formalizing this part of the writing process as the first step in prewriting makes a lot of sense. If you think it will help your writing, by all means adopt this idea.

But this is only the first part of prewriting.

"Why am I writing about this?"

If you're writing something for an assignment, this question seems to have an obvious answer: "duh, I have to write it!" But that's not what this second stage of prewriting actually means. This is when you decide on the purpose of your writing.

Your writing can be for multiple purposes. But typically, you're looking to focus on only one or two of these purposes – although you can do more. It's possible to entertain while also being persuasive, for example. You can narrate and move someone through your words. Really, you can mix and match any of these purposes.

If you do take up prewriting, it might be handy to keep this short list of purposes on hand. That way, you can choose the purposes that best fit what you're trying to accomplish with your writing. Sometimes an assignment will give you a strictly defined purpose. But many allow you to add an additional purpose to your writing. And, of course, if there are no exact purposes assigned, then just go with however you feel you can best write about your topic or theme.

For example, through this prewriting piece, I am informing while also hopefully explaining why I don't necessarily do prewriting myself. I find that I tend to have a purpose to explain and inform a lot in my writing, although I also aim to amuse, sometimes, too. Keep in mind you don't have to try and do all of these things in every piece you write, as you can't have any one piece do everything, after all.

"Who am I writing this for?"

Ah, yes, the ever important question for a writer: "Who is my audience?"

This is the point in the prewriting process where you may have to reconsider the purpose for your writing. Where is what you're going to write be posted? Even if it is for your eyes only, you still inevitably have to think about this.

The whole point of writing is for someone to read it, even if it's only for yourself. More often than not, you're trying to reach a specific audience. Your audience is, sadly, not just everybody. You must have an audience in mind whenever you write something.

Myself, I tend to write for other writers, authors, and bloggers, while also considering other creatives. Does that mean that my work is only meant for those specific people? Not at all. But what it does mean, then, to target a specific audience?

Targeting an audience just means that you need to decide who is most likely to get the most out of what you are writing. Then, if you decide your target audience prefers to read a more amusing piece or more of a narrative, you can adjust your "writing parameters" accordingly.

"How am I going to write about this?"

This is where things get juicy in prewriting. Some prewriting guides have choosing your piece's genre beforefiguring out your audience. But you kind of want to know your audience before deciding how you want to write about it. After all, you haven't actually started writing your actual writing yet, so you can go back still and adjust things.

By genres, here's what sort of things you could be writing:

biography

book

essay

letter

narrative

news story

novel

poem

review

report

short story

Some themes are better written about through the narrative of a short story, for example. Other times, you may want to write something biographical and descriptive about someone who dealt with a certain topic or theme throughout his or her lifetime. Myself, I tend to prefer the essay, because it's versatile. I also use poems a lot to express certain ideas. But I've written all of these types of things in one form or another.

When it comes to genre, unless it's assigned, I always recommend to write to your strengths sometimes and to your weaknesses at others. Really, you should dabble in every kind of writing that you can.

The reason for this should be obvious. The more you grow as a writer, the better all of your writing will be, even if your forays into other genres seem to fail miserably. The very act of putting together a piece you wouldn't usually write makes new connections in your brain.

You can learn a lot by writing what you're weak at, because you could eventually find new strengths. After all, writing is first and foremost a skill. The more you develop your skills in different sorts of writing, the more you can do.

"OK, it's brain dump time!"

Once you have decided on the topic or theme, the purpose, the audience, and the genre for what you're writing, it's time to throw down! It's planning time! Planning my writing is something I rarely do, although I do brainstorm from time to time when I feel compelled to do so.

However, depending on what you're writing, there are lots of ways to collect your thoughts and ideas for the sake of prewriting. You can sit there and think and take notes on whatever floats through your brain for hours. Then you end up daydreaming and fantasizing and go write some poems or start some story that will go nowhere, instead. Yeah, I've been there and done that. But there are other ways.

Researching is actually pretty helpful. This is a part of prewriting that I actually have done a air amount. Reading on the topic or theme you want to write about is helpful for many reasons. Not only does it give you a ton of ideas to start from, but you also know what's already out there.

You can also interview someone. This is easier than you'd think. People love to talk. If you ask someone who you consider an expert on a subject, and you have a few good questions you're looking to answer, you'll likely get a positive response!

In fact, an interview itself makes for some good writing, in addition to what you're already writing! Plus, interviewing is an awesome skill to develop. But the greatest benefit of an interview is that you can get an expert source and those are awesome social proof for your work.

Of course, you can also discuss your topic or theme with friends and family. You may get some ideas that you don't expect.

However you pull your ideas together, it's the one part of prewriting that I actually do. You should do it, too. You'll probably end up getting more ideas than you need for the writing project you started with. As you find as a writer, too much is actually a good thing, because you have other things to write about later!

"Pull it all together now!"

The end of prewriting is now upon us! Now you have to organize your notes and put some sense to them. This is where some people engage in the dreaded outline or do some fancy flow chart or spreadsheet or whatever other crap you want to throw in Microsoft Excel. (Or OpenOffice Sheets, as I prefer!)

Myself, I just pick a few good ideas and develop them in a way that makes sense. Most of the time, I do all this organization in my head. Then again, especially with assignments, I will put headings and sections in a document first before the writing gears really start cranking. It's not an outline, per se, but it sort of serves the same purpose.

And yes, writing an outline is perfectly OK. But my own writing tends to be a but spontaneous, so outlines frustrate me. There's nothing actually wrong with them, though. And I've see flow charts and tables work wonders for some people. Really, however you best get organized in writing, go for it!

That's it! Now you're ready to start writing... even though you just did more writing in the prewriting than you'll probably actually do in the actual drafting... But hey, it's more writing, and who doesn't want to do more of that?

How do you prewrite? Or are you like me and mostly just fly by the seat of your pants? Whatever your process is, I'd love to hear about it!

When I was collecting my poetry, it was suggested to me that I call the collection Reflections on Life. I felt like that wouldn't be the best title to publish my work. I decided instead on From the Pages of Spiral Notebooks, for that's the medium in which my poetry adventures began. However, many of my poems are indeed reflections on life. So, that's an idea that I'd like to discuss.

For Christmas one year, I was asked what sort of books I would want to read. I made a request for poetry related books. While I've written hundreds of poems over the years, I have always found myself rather disconnected from pursuing the art on a regular basis. I've long reserved poetry as a means of expressing thoughts emotions or ideas. At times, I have some jumbled thoughts that seem to loosely fit together, but wouldn't be easily put into prose. Poetry, therefore, became a reflex, as much of my writing has become.

It's quite fortunate then that one of my best friends gave me a book about teaching children to write poetry. It's actually a rather old book, but just as relevant today as it was in the 1970s. It is entitled Wishes, Lies and Dreams by Kenneth Koch. It was a big deal when it was first published and sadly the great lessons it teaches have seemingly been forgotten by many people today.

When I was a child, our classes were sometimes instructed to write stories. My first few stories were absolute nonsense, but yet they were enjoyed. I often dreamed of one day becoming a novelist. But proper plot structure and development are two aspects of literature that have long eluded me. My imagination rarely remains on a single thread for long. My brain is ready to move on soon after I start.

Eventually realizing this, I shifted my focus to writing songs. But without musical accompaniment, they were “just” poems. I was rarely happy with my work. It was often very emotionally charged and often took cues from my dreams and my imagination. Actually, a lot of it was really good as I look back at it. Of course, a lot of it wasn't. But as I've looked back at my older pieces over time, I'm not so sure what I inevitably discarded was so bad after all.

Some years ago, I shifted back to writing stories. I created a great many colorful characters and imagined complex backdrops, both political and natural. But I never could get it all to work in harmony. It was suggested to me several times to work my creative work into poems. But, there was too much of a disconnect between poems and story writing for me that I could hardly attempt it. A few decent poems came out of it, and all are published in some form today. But it never became a regular outlet for me.

Are My Poems Reflections or Distortions of Life?

Going back to the idea of my poetry generally being reflections on life, from certain perspectives many of them probably are. But necessarily, reflections will also become distortions. But, distortions of life does not make for a “sexy” collection title, nor is it an accurate choice for putting a collective take on my works of verse.

This is when I realized that in my future poetry I should take cues from Koch’s work with Grade school children. Poems should be of the stuff of wishes, real or crazy. Poems should be the stuff of lies - innocent, pretty, or gross. Poems should be the stuff of dreams, free to associate even in the most seemingly absurd ways.

The work of a young poet should begin with “I wish” or “I dream,” Koch says. This way it's easy to make comparisons with seemingly disparate things to form vivid images. It's much too easy as an adult to let conventions and fear of rejection color our work, or worst of all force it into some sort of blandness.

Poetry is a creative art just like drawing, painting, sculpting or crafting. Poetry is doing all of these things in fact, but with words. And the last thing you want to do is over-complicate poetry.

The best part of poetry is that it offers a sort of freedom that no other art form I've found can offer. It should be an accessible art for everyone. It should be free to express and begin and end only with a simple idea. Complexity can come with time and practice, but poetry is not meant for dissertations, after all.

As I continue to delve more into reading about how to teach poetry, I certainly will have much more to say on the subject. But most of all, I need to rediscover my love of the craft. Perhaps to be a poet is my true calling. But my aim has and never will be to have my verses be the stuff of legend. I just need to say what should be said.

It’s long been believed that by being an active reader, you can become a far better writer. While that is certainly true, it is only one major component to becoming a “formidable writing professional” as I have tried to be in recent years. Of course, really, the most important part to being a good writer is simply pursuing the act of writing as often as possible.

There are many folks out there who seem to believe that he or she is simply not cut out for creating good, solid writing. Yes, there are those that are simply very talented at writing. However, writing is far more about developing skill. Even those with great talent don’t necessarily hone their skills nearly to the degree that they could. But mostly, writing is about your passion. If you care about something, and want to know more about it, then you should definitely write about it. It’s hard at first, but after awhile, you’ll begin to have a lot of fun!

Myself, I’ve been writing for quite some time. But as much of a bookworm as I was in my childhood, it took many years before I actually could call myself a writer. It took lots of practice. I would copy interesting quotes from things I would read and then commenting on them. I would simply write for the sake of writing. It got to the point that writing became a reflex. Whenever something was on my mind that I didn’t know exactly how to talk to someone about, I would write about it.

Putting words on a page has always been easier to me than public speaking. That’s true of many folks. The opposite is, of course, just as true. It took me a long time to find my voice through writing, though. I must say, it’s not quite the voice I speak with. Is that a bad thing? That’s for you to decide.

Reading is definitely important. I don’t need to stress that, since so many others have and there’s no point repeating such a truth. What I do need to stress is that even the most talented writers do not write near-perfection every time he or she sits down.

Everyone’s creative process is different. Some are easier to follow than others. My personal process isn’t so easy to follow. I’ve always hated doing outlines. I just tend to draft a piece in a semi-completed form before going back and revising it to make it more coherent.

I’m very much about voice in my writing. Sometimes, I perhaps get a bit too rhetorical or state things in somewhat peculiar ways that may not always get my point across. That is because writing is a skill you can never stop developing. If one does not grow as a writer, he or she will grow stagnant.

If a writer does not strive to write as often as possible, when it comes time to write something, it will most likely be a struggle. It’s especially a struggle when you’re trying to write about things you don’t care about - even if it will make you money. Let me tell you, my voice sounds cold and uninterested in a lot of things I’ve written before for money. Others thought they were good. But I knew that they weren’t.

There have been times where I will churn out a great deal of words in a short amount of time. I may not be proud of a great percentage of that work. Still, the exercise is nonetheless extremely valuable.

One thing that I have also done to a good degree is help others with their own writing. This is perhaps even more valuable than simply brainstorming ideas. Not only are you bringing another perspective to others’ work, but you’re also gaining insight into other perspectives, as well. You’re also helping them to find just what it is that permeates their writing, picking out their strengths and helping them to smooth out the flaws. Always be carefully critical, the way you would want someone to help you along. So much of writing is just practice. Writers are more like doctors than we realize sometimes; we’re constantly practicing!

I’d love to say that everyone has a hidden talent for writing and just needs to develop the skills. But I do know that writing is a skill that many people who don’t consider themselves writers can actually develop. Through persistence and patience with their own development, anyone can learn to write fairly well.

Writing is an art form, of course. We are artisans, much like sculptors and painters. Words are our material and the pages (or digital mediums) are our canvas. That may sound a bit clichéd but I think that is the best way to express that idea.

Even highly skilled writers such as myself grow stumped on how to put certain things. Every writer does. This is why collaboration is so important. It’s important for writers to help each other out.

When it comes to writing for assignments, there’s nothing wrong with being someone’s ghost-writer. There’s nothing wrong with giving a starving writer an assignment to get an idea expressed and out into the open. But when you are writing for money, take assignments that you believe in and truly want to write for the sake of writing it.

Once writing becomes about money, you can lose focus and just write what you think people want or what the assignment says. I believe that more people should try ghostwriting, but as a way to develop their own skills. Always keep that in mind.

I’m always happy to edit and clean things up for people. But people need to learn that they need to just write from the heart. I once read something that the best content comes from the most unexpected places. It’s a trend that needs to grow.

Remember that developing any sort of useful, applicable skill is an art form. Creativity, in whatever form it may take, is art. Like with any artists, many writers become discouraged when the words just aren't fitting together. It’s hard to break out of ruts when you get into them. But even when you’re in a rut, you still have to keep writing.

It's OK to take a break for a bit, but never leave writing completely behind. Even if you sit down again and you write crap, you’re at least producing something. It's better than simply letting thoughts spin around your head without any useful application.

Writing is most certainly more skill than some realize. Talent is certainly a component, but inevitably it’s skill that wins out. But it’s mostly the passion you put into it. Without the passion, the writing will feel stale. The passion is what keeps the writing living, relevant, and good.

I just want to write something important. To me, that’s not writing just another New York Times bestseller. It doesn’t involve taking advantage of a fad. I’m not seeking a cult following. There is a deep desire within me to write something not only significant, but undeniably unique.

I long to write something that could be the epitome of whatever creativity I possess. Is this asking the impossible? Can you write something undeniably important? There is always the possibility that by reaching for what at first you deem impossible, you could get yourself very, very close to that seemingly unattainable goal. So why not aim for it?

Even as the world gives you reason after reason to be bitter, it’s vital to do whatever I can to put things into a positive light. It’s important to be constructive. This is why it’s very important to understand the true power of creativity. I know that too often I don’t exercise my mind correctly to unleash my true creative potential. I believe this is true of most of us.

Throughout my education, people have been too impressed with many examples of my academic work. That’s not to say it’s all been relatively worthless busy work junk. Still, I look back at my academic offerings and feel tremendously disappointed from what I produced in the name of education. I believe I can tap far more from my abilities. So where do I dig up the fuel, the drive, and the motivation to pursue challenging myself in new and creative ways?

Not only do I wish to master merely the act of being creative, but also better comprehend the nuances of the greater concepts that creativity involves. I don’t want only to inform or educate in a basic sense. I want to expand minds in a significant, meaningful way beyond the simple facts, figures, or concepts I’m writing about.

Before any of us can truly learn how to learn, we must understand what creativity truly is. Creativity means never simply squashing your dreams, no matter how childish they may seem. Never be afraid to tackle big ideas. Reality is always going to be fascinating, and often more horrifying than anything any fiction can produce.

Never be afraid to create something. It doesn’t matter how slowly you build on your ideas, as long as you do it consistently. Add a dash of passion to everything you do. That’s true creativity at its finest.

I tend to write in bursts. I'm terrible at being creative on a schedule. Is it even possible to be creative on a schedule? It probably is, but that has never been a real thing to me. I just create whenever I do.

There's nothing really inherently wrong with that. That's why I don't want to have any expectations tied to any of my creative work - because I'll always find some excuse as to why I fell short. It's pretty much my own expectations, really. They're rough enough. I don't need someone on top of that asking me if I'll have something ready by so-and-so date and time. That's why I am so personal about my creative stuff.

I'm not an "official" poet, even though I've written hundreds of poems andmost of my poetry is published online. The reason why is actually pretty simple. If you're a "poet," people will ask you, hey, can you write a poem about so and so? Can you come up with some corny verses about such-and-such? Not only do I find that demeaning, but I'm not an "on-demand" poet. Some people can do that crap.

I usually will just be laying or sitting around and a verse pops in my head. Then another, and another, yet another. I usually write 3-5 poems at a time. Sometimes even as many as 10. I think my record is a dozen in a day, but I'm really not keeping track. Heck, if I were that prolific I'd be a millionaire right now just self-publishing little collections and selling them for a dollar or two a piece. Alas, I am not. I don't really care about that part anyway. I don't care if my poems make me a cent, really.

The problem is I do care if some of my more serious writing earns nothing. Sometimes my only motivation to write about certain topics is purely for financial benefit. I've been fortunate enough to get on rolls with assignments most of the time. Even if I'm uninspired to begin with, I can usually run with an idea. But when I have to force it, well, you can imagine how it turns out.

So what gets me on a roll? Just a thought. It just has to be the right thought. There's really no secret sauce or anything like that. You just run with it when it comes. If it's a lot in one day, okay, well, just go ahead.

It's often suggested to not batch too much together. But if you're writing stuff that's going to be just as relevant ten years down the line as it is now, go right ahead. Some people work better on schedules than others. There's no right or wrong way to work as long as you find what works for you.

It’s quite enlightening to realize others recognize fine skill in composition. It’s even better to find those that appreciate the fine details woven through even the most basic of stories. Writing is not simply a form of communication or just used for recording purposes. It can be such a wonderful way to tell the world so many things.

Some use writing simply as a way to satiate their ego. Perhaps that is why I write, sometimes, to satisfy my own ego. Of course, it’s true that I am the all-powerful narrator in my writing. I can say, do think, and feel anything I wish for anyone or anything depicted through my words. It is a beautiful, liberating feeling. It can be highly intoxicating, too.

I can write forever on pages and type forever onto various digitized media. But when it comes to sharing these words, I am often at a loss in proceeding to do so. What I do hope is that there’s something to gain by having my thoughts mirrored into words. Namely, I hope it can be better understood that everything I do in the course of my day out in society is an experiment.

I look for reactions - causes and effects. The world is like my laboratory and I am studying all that is in it. I may at times write “gems of genius.” But all too often, there are thoughts I have which are so difficult to put into words. They fly by so quickly in this brain, and if I don’t catch them, they’re gone for good.

There wasn’t one particular moment when I decided to become a poet. About the time I was leaving junior high I decided that I would try my hand at writing some lyrics. But as they have never been put to music, outside of the occasional ditty in my head, they became mere poetry. Some people say that I do well at poetry. But I have never really considered myself a full-blown poet. Still, that hasn’t stopped me from writing hundreds upon hundreds of verses. Some of them are much better than others. A few wereactually worth publishing.

Truthfully, I’ve always leaned towards focusing onwriting prose. The poetry comes and goes, often in big spurts. But it’s not something I’ve ever dedicated myself to, as much as I appreciate the art of both conventional andunconventional poetry. Writing verses was once a passion of mine, but I longed to be a songwriter, not a poet. Then again, those two things are probably one and the same in essence. Poetry, too, especially of the unconventional variety, can be so very free-form.

Strangely enough, I’ve never been much good at free-write exercises. My attempts at free-form exercise often become somewhat unfocused essays with muddled theses. Occasionally, I end up making a decent article out of some of them. I merely don’t free-write. I just follow whatever my mind wants me to write at a given moment. So I try not to give much thought to why I should write about this or that.

Perhaps, I’m a poet, even if I’m not. Poetry by definition is not merely just metrical writing. The word can also mean a couple other things, according to Merriam-Webster:

“Writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.”

Or…

“Something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression “

The English language is funny sometimes, with all its many meanings of singular words. But clearly, poetry is more than just rhyming verses. Any form of expression can be made into poetry. I suppose what it comes down to is that I write simply to express something and try to make it beautiful. It may not even really matter what that something actually is. Merely writing something isn’t always enough for me.

Theart of writing is so important to me. Simply composing articles to inform and perhaps entertain is not all there is. There’s a clear sense in my mind now that perhaps writing poetry is both easier and harder than most people think. Poetry is about finding the beauty in something, then finding the best way to express that something.

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